doncha know?

After spending a night in Appleton, Minnesota, home of Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, where all the streets are named after vets who gave their lives in foreign wars, we were off, heading east, where it was getting darker by the minute.  Hungry, we had only had a burger and fries at the only place open at 9 last night, but that stayed open for us.  So the quest was for food, blue skies, and maybe not in that order.  Now Minnesota in the western part is very rural, with towns popping up when you need them every 25-30 miles, not counting the general store or two along the way.  It brought back memories of my first trip west in my van in 1975, after spending a night in a parking lot of a gas station, I woke up to find it was a gas station/bowling alley, with a bay of each.  People are more resourceful in the country, and today I hoped the resources involved a big breakfast along with great weather.  We found the breakfast, the rain found us.  But outside Montevideo, the road split and we weren’t sure which way to go, so we flagged down a state trooper.  Young, they all are at my age, and polite, he pointed out the better of the two roads for riding, and also a place to eat.  All in that Minnesota accent we all love to imitate.  When we were leaving, Theresa told him “I like your accent,” and with a smile he added “I like yours too.”  Only other people have accents, not us right?

Growing up in the New York Metro area, I heard a lot of douse and dees growing up.  “You’s guys” and sentences ending with there, as in “what cha doin’ there?” or “c’mon here, there.”  Which was a bit different from my relatives in the Poconos 60 miles east, who would call each other Old Beauty, and begin each new sentence with say, as in “say old beauty, been down to the park?”  Also they when calling us kids it was “come here once,” which I never got.  All English, well sorta, all in America, and all somehow understood by us foreigners, those from New Jersey.  And then coming to California things got gnarly, we went to the beach instead of the shore, tacos had fish, and English was a second language many places.  As in the interview that took place at a 7-11, where a man was looking for work.  When asked if he spoke any foreign languages, he asked “yes, English.”  “Say old beauty, doncha know we’re going to the beach there?  Come here once....”  Only in America...

As a newcomer to being born again, I was deluged with Christianese, a new language to this previous heathen.  Born again, ask Nicodemus for a full definition.  I was saved, but from what?  I was to walk in the spirit, I rather ride.  I was told not to be legalistic, I was under grace, the only Grace I knew was a girl.  I had been offered salvation, would need to be discipled, learn to evangelize, spread the gospel, have eternal security, be justified, sanctified, and purified, learn God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.  I had been reborn, redeemed, reconciled, and regenerated through my repentance.  I used to walk in the flesh, now walked in the spirit, and had been washed in the blood.  I had been shown mercy by the messiah.  And you wonder why some first time visitors never come back to church?  We speak our own language!  When Jesus spoke only one, in Arabic of course, but his language was one of love.  Which translates well into any language.  Doncha know?

And so I learned to take the Lord’s supper, communion, at the Lord’s table, the altar, and do it in remembrance of him.  I was told that a great tribulation was coming, but because I was saved I would be raptured out.  Only those not saved would be left behind, to honor and worship the antichrist, who would be empowered by Satan.  And that Jesus would finally destroy him on the battlefield of Armageddon, locking him into the lake of fire and brimstone forever, along with the beast.  All I wanted was to be free from sin and forgiven.....

The great thing about love is that it is universal, and from a loving God.  A love we cannot fully describe, because words in any language fail to reach the full depth of it.  We try, we teach, we memorize, but there is nothing like experiencing Jesus first hand.  To be given understanding in the language we speak, from the holy spirit, who knows all things, and comforts us.  Comfort I can dig, after 40 years I still flounder, not the fish, in Christianese.  When all I really need is the language of love, Jesus Christ.

Hungry at closing time, God provided a drive in to stay open for us.  Unsure of a direction in the storm, he provided a patrolman with knowledge.  Hungry, he took us to the right diner. Spoken with different accents, but with one accent included in all, love.  Which must be experienced, and cannot be taught.  No degrees in love, sorry Pastor, DD, you may have a title, do you speak the language?  Maybe a quick lesson from a Samaritan, who showed love for a beaten man, a stranger, while the religious me avoided him.  His actions spoke of love, a love beyond words.  What do your words tell others?  Can you stop talking church and show some love? 

The gospel is simple so we can get it, free so we can afford it.  That’s good news, that’s love, the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Show some in your native language today, and if you find that gas station/bowling alley, let me know.  It again was a place of refuge one night for a weary traveler.  A place without name, but full of description, if only I could find the words.  Heaven will be the same, for eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor mind imagined the kingdom of God.  Some use words to describe, God showed love.  If you can describe his love, you haven’t got the full effect.  Learn his language today, and when asked “where ya goin’ dere?”  just point and smile, “heaven.”  If only I could find the words.....just make sure you know the person.  His name is Jesus, doncha know....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com 

Hollister is no picnic

I won’t be going to the Hollister Rally this year.  I have been to every one but one from the rebirth in 1997, and have seen its humble beginnings to its growth and police presence to a trade show for the lifestyle set.  I have met many people, listened to many loud exhausts, and even participated in church services.  I ate breakfast one morning with the mayor and even ministered.  But over the past few years I have spent a few minutes talking with Sonny Barger while he hangs at Corbin’s.  With the exception of one year at the Indian store, where he introduced me to his family, and we talked at length about motorcycles.  Sonny will only ride one that is American made, and in his words “was stuck with Harley because there were no others available,” and is quite blatant in his attitude towards them.  He rode a Victory for a few years, loved the power and brakes, then an Indian, but traded it straight across for another Victory, which he preferred better.  His Indian had 42,000 miles on it in a year, and still traded straight across.  The man rides, 420 may be the poser’s limit, that is an afternoon for Sonny.  So he is back on a Victory, no word on what he will ride since they went out of business.  But at 76 and counting, I’m sure he will ride until he dies.

But Sonny knows his motorcycles although his discipline will not let him ride them.  He is impressed with Triumphs, asked me many questions about them.  He thinks the industry has many offerings to be chosen from, but yet sticks to his Made In America only credo.  I admire him for that, but also feel sorry he is missing out on so many fun rides.  But he sticks to his guns, literally, and for now it is Victory, which I remind him “you are what you ride, and I am a Triumph.  While you are a victory...”  We both laugh.   Just two guys who ride, who agree on two wheels as the only way to ride.

The Pharisees taught that the Gentiles were made for no other reason than to fuel the fires of hell.  They had no purpose on earth, they were worse than dogs, and an abomination, with certain ritualistic cleansings if you even passed by one on the streets.  Paul would know, as the Pharisee of Pharisees, and God in his wisdom set him out to minister to the Gentiles.  Only God could use a man like that, but he did with Peter also.  Being Jewish, he knew of the laws, and not to eat with a Gentile or mix with one.  Yet when God called him to minster to them, he explained to God about Kosher and non-Kosher foods, and Kosher and non-Kosher people.  So God gave him an example of how his love is for all, the gospel not just for the Jews, the chosen ones.  He showed Peter a picnic, where all types of food were on a tablecloth, and told Peter he could eat of any he chose.  He was not under the law any more, but grace, and God’s grace is sufficient.  Like Sonny, Peter was steeped in his beliefs, but the spirit gave him insight and he took the gospel to all. 

In the little town of New Ulm, Minnesota, all of 15,000, there are six different Lutheran churches.  Why?  Because they all have taken a stand different and varied from the gospel.  They forgot it is all about Jesus, and made it all about them instead.  How can they talk about love yet argue openly and not love each other?  Doesn’t 1 John 3 tell us about the love of the father not being in one who doesn’t love?  And who is your neighbor Jesus was asked?  Everyone.  Jesus 1, Religion 0.  But gaining.  If we could only get the gospel message right, and listen to the spirit, we would see more saved, more miracles, and more blessings.  Yet in a yuppie church I attended they had no programs to help the needy, stepping over them like the rich man did to Lazarus.  Steeping over Jesus as he tells in Matthew 25.  Of course we never do that, we are too educated and righteous, aren’t we?  Maybe we need to go on a picnic like Peter did and have God open our eyes.  Maybe we need to visit with those who have less and need Jesus, and let them minister to us.  Sonny has chosen his ride to be Made in America, and I respect that.  I choose a ride made in Bethlehem, predating the Motor Company and that will outlive it as well.  I pray for Sonny, we have become acquaintances, we pass on the street and stop.  I don’t preach, but reach out via bikes.  God reached out to Peter via food.  What is in your life that can be used to further the gospel? 

Years ago our biker brotherhood was based on if you ride or not.  Now brand religion has entered in, and it is not the same.  Maybe learned from religion.  But learn the lesson from Jesus today, all have fallen, we need a savior, and he is it.  The way, not a brand or denomination, he is the way to God.  He is God, sent by his father to reunite us to him.  Hollister may be no picnic, but knowing Jesus is.  We can decide, not some man made laws or rules.  We have grace, and in the spirit will know what to do and be influenced by him.  I can ride any brand I want, I choose Triumph.  Sonny’s law cuts his choices to a very short list.  How short is your list when it comes to showing love?  The church has left the building, it is in places like Hollister, downtown in the Hood, on college campuses, and anywhere people are found.  You have a great field to choose from, the harvest is plentiful, are you one of the few workers?  If so, many blessings await you, if not, you are avoiding many blessings.  And seeing God change lives.  And miss meeting exciting people.  Like Sonny.  Or me. 

One picnic with Peter, one ride with me could change your attitude.  Take a ride, stop for a meal, and consider Jesus.  He considered you that day on the cross, can’t you find a few minutes that may change your eternal life?  Sonny and I have many things in common, we just come at it from different points of view.  Consider the point of view of Jesus.  He is the way, all others, well you can take the bus, where you might just meet my friend Tim who drives one, we are everywhere God has put us.  Peter and Paul found that out and it changed their lives.  Hollister and religion, it’s hard to separate the posers any more.  Now about that new Honda....

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

only the names have changed

If you started riding less than 40 years ago, names like Triumph, Indian, Moto Guzzi, and Ducati may be new.  Brands of motorcycles that once thrived, either went to sleep or just went away, and now are back and popular once again.  The dealers may be gone, some converted to Honda like Musselman’s in Tucson who used to sell Indians and BSA, Wilson’s in Fresno now pushing metrics, or Joe Turney’s in Albuquerque, now a latte shop.  The buildings, the bikes, and almost a whole generation of riders gone, but somehow the memories remain.  Some moved on to Hondas, some bought Yamahas, strange sounding names like Suzuki and Kawasaki popped up, but the call of motorcycling remains, only the names have changed.  Harley almost faded too, somehow kept alive and reinventing itself by shrewd marketing, but for those who ride, not just own, things remain the same, we just worship different brands. 

I asked a group of Harley guys one time, who claim they live to ride, if tomorrow only a 250 cc 2 stroke was available, would you still ride?  Without fail, they would stop, maybe telling more about brand loyalty than devotion to riding and the love of motorcycling.  They claim a lifestyle, and even an ad from JP Cycle’s today made me think about riding.  The Top 10 Cruising Destinations in Iowa.  Not roads to ride, but places to end up.  Left on your own to get there, trailers optional.  So maybe more than the brands have changed, maybe we are changing, and as it is more important to be seen riding the right bike as opposed to riding the right road, we each choose our destination, but to me it is still the ride that makes it all worthwhile.

Triumph, BSA, Norton, Matchless, and other British bikes faded away.  They were so proud they thought no one would ever replace them.  Across the pond Harley thought the same after being the lone survivor in the Indian wars.  But the Japanese taught us all better, took us to a level of performance and reliability we could only dream of, and then began to lose their personality.  They became akin to a blender or refrigerator, bought for a purpose, with no love attached.  BMW who also almost faded, now has come back, Triumph reinvented itself, and both are selling high end bikes.  Even Duc-Audi, going through numerous changes of ownership, is at the leading edge of race bikes, Indian is back, Harley now has a direct competitor, Victory is being weaned from us, and what we ride again tells more about us than we wish to share. Sadly no 2 strokes, so my Harley lifestyle friends are safe....

So as we pass from idle worship idol worship, John again warns us, “dear children, keep yourself from idols.”  As church attendance is slimming despite more churches, we exhibit our passions on two wheels.  We may claim we don’t worship our motorcycles, but look at the place they take in our lives.  A vision always pops into my memory of riding through the south, cardboard shacks with paper roofs, but a new Harley on the porch.  How many times we struggled just to make ends meet, but when our bikes broke, somehow we found the money to fix them.  I know men who will ride to club events and try to meet up with family members, rather than just visit their families.  So I know, and can confess to the idol worship that can attract me, but it is the idle worship, the going nowhere, sitting in neutral, by passing God that bothers me.  When a heart becomes cold, we call it backsliding.  When we forsake our first love, when we deny Jesus, we have a cold heart.  Some straddle the fence, making Jesus sick, remember he vomits the lukewarm from his mouth.  Some do all the right things, yet are rotting away inside, appearance being their only goal.  But in each case, when we do not place Jesus first, we are acting selfishly, telling God we know what is best, and becoming so clever and smart we take, rather steal the glory from God for the blessings in our lives.  A good FICO score may get you the ride of your dreams, but can you afford the payments?  What have you given up, what are you getting in return? 

In a be seen world, I watched a stylish woman with holes in her jeans, denims we would have thrown away because they were worn, yet she strikes a pose.  A wannabe.  Add a leather jacket with studs, and the empress may have new clothes, but is still hollow inside.  When motorcycles, cars, and clothes become more fashionable than a relationship with Jesus, we are worshipping an idol.  It has taken the place of Jesus, even if you wear it to church!  We get so enamored by the things of humanity, we neglect to see the things of God.  Funny, but the Top 10 Destinations were all man made, neglecting the things of God.  No Loess Hills.  No open prairies or dales.  Museums, shops, places that sell t-shirts.  Until the next fad comes along....

If you feel trapped by the world, know that in Jesus we can overcome it, he has.  I may get grease and oil on my $16 Wranglers, no latte gonna stain them.  Latte is still a cup of coffee, for $5.  And what I find interesting, is a resurgence of 250 cc motorcycles, marketed for new riders, but older guys buying them and remembering their first rides, their first love.  And I meet many who have fallen away, denied Jesus after once serving him, now coming back, with a testimony of how he loved and forgave them even when they were away.  Scripture doesn’t warn us keep away from idols to punish but to protect us.  From payments and pain, which only make us lonely.  The problem with being stylish is styles change, Jesus never goes out of style.  Love never fails.  Try that one on your Harley store. 

And so John refers to us as dear children, not as spoiled brats, but as loved, because Jesus loves us as we are.  His desire, to give you an abundant life, to enjoy the ride, and not be miserable on the way to your destination.  Sin is out there, very subtle at times, but still sin.  Don’t look for a verse to excuse it in your life, seek Jesus and his promises, then follow them.  Let the spirit guide you, ride new roads on old bikes, remember the good old days, but look forward to the ones yet to come.  Maybe an afternoon on an old 250 just may change your attitude.  And if no one is looking, it is still OK to have fun.  If you need an audience maybe you really are a poser at heart, but don’t give up, Jesus died for you too.  The road beneath us may be crumbling, the infrastructure failing, Jesus never does.  To absorb the bumps just like your shocks do.  Ask yourself, is it Jesus Christ or something else?  I hope your answer doesn’t amaze you.  If it does, Jesus is still the answer. 

Some ride, some remember.  Some look back, some look ahead.  Funny how they left out Captain Kirk’s future birthplace.  Riverside, Iowa.  Look it up, been there.  No t-shirts, just a photo and a memory.  Keep yourself from idols.  Even Mr. Spock would agree that makes sense.  Now for a ride to Vulcan...only the names have changed.

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

 

Nicky's last race

The newswires are erupting today with the news that Nicky Hayden, AMA Superbike and MotoGP Champion, has died in Italy after a bicycle accident last week along the Adriatic coast. He was 35 years old.  So much life lived, and so much life yet to live, yet in one brief moment, it all ended.  Nicky was a young icon, a hero, a good guy, one that parents could tell their kids to be like, at 35 he was still a kid himself. His talent and skill could have him ride at 200 mph, compete at and with the highest level of road racing and win.  Not quite ready to retire, yet all his skills, talent, training, experience, contacts and contracts couldn’t help him out that day.  On the track where he could perform with and against those of his peer group, he couldn’t compete with his peer group in traffic.  How sad, taken out by a back marker.  But the end would be the same irregardless, it was Nicky’s last race.  A DNF, and he will never race again.

There are two days in our life we have no control over, the day we are born and the day we will die.  But we do have a lot to say about the days in between and how we choose to live them.  Some will say “if he only knew, he could have been prepared, or taken a different route, or stayed home.”  But yet in God’s eyes from the day we are born until we die, we are preparing for that day, that time when we leave earth for our final destination.  So the question needs to be asked, “are you ready?”  When you go out today, are you prepared to meet your maker?  When you lay me down to sleep, do you trust the Lord your soul to keep?  It was all over in a millisecond for Nicky, scripture tells us we are changed in the twinkling of an eye, scientists tell us that it is 1/240,000th of a second.  No one is that fast, and if you were, would you concentrate on Jesus or yourself? 

The medical community cannot tell when death occurs.  They can monitor the heart and the brain, but keep it alive on life support.  When I asked Peter, my cardiologist about it, he explained simply “ I can keep you functioning, but I cannot keep you alive.”  Maybe a clearer definition of life and death than I knew at the time, but do now.  He knew all about the physical, but it is in the spiritual realm we will exist in forever.  I said exist, for some, not all, will not go to heaven, for them life is over, but to those in Christ Jesus, we will live forever.  Eternal, never ending, an eternal right now, with an eternal tomorrow to look forward to.  In Christ, but without him....we see what death really is.  Separation from God forever. 

Some live their lives gaining points to win the championship Jesus gives freely.  But can never gain enough to win, always short.  You cannot do anything to make God love you more, or less, you cannot buy or earn your way to a heavenly championship.  No sponsorship, no factory ride can promise what Jesus does.  All the hours of track time, of practice, of classroom training may make you a better rider, more competitive, but they do not guarantee you a win, or a championship.  Yet many live that way, trying to please God to gain his favor, while there is nothing you can do to increase his love for you.  You can know all the scripture, memorize John 3:16, go to the right study, know the pastor even, but still not be prepared for the end.  For that one day in traffic when the one thing you trained for occurs, and it is all over....forever.

Scripture tells us that for the believer the day we die is better than the day we were born.  We are born into sin, look around, it ain’t all podium finishes.  But death has its rewards for Christians, we win the championship of heaven, and don’t ever have to compete again.  Are you ready to race?  Are you ready to win?  Better yet, are you prepared to lose?  Nicky lost his last competition here on earth, in a non-race situation.  I only hope he knew Jesus.  It is too late for him now, but not for you.  If today was the day your life on earth ended, where will you go?  Are you sure?  Why?  Only in Jesus Christ do we have that eternal hope, the promise of being resurrected like he was.  No religion, philosophy, talent, or connection can get you to heaven.  Only Jesus can.  Church membership won’t, Bible study won’t, good works or deeds won’t, and trying to earn it will only have you come up short.  So why not enjoy the free gift of heaven, and being living it today, on earth as it will  be in heaven.  All abut Jesus.  For when we live in his will, all things are possible, and God’s will is simple, that none should perish.   That none should go to hell, which was made for the devil and his angels.  Now you know, so what do you say?  Are you in the race to win, or to finish?

A live dog is better than a dead lion.  One was king, one looked down upon.  You cannot take it with you, so don’t give up what you cannot earn to keep that which you cannot take with you.  Be sure in Jesus today, and run the race to win.  One DNF could end it all, are you ready? 

love with copassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com